Festivals

So, here’s some last-minute, very breaking, very sad news: We learned only a couple hours ago that The Cellar Door will be unable to host music for The Thing on Saturday. Scheduled for The Cellar Door was our jazz slate (always some of the best stuff you’ll find all day), and that was going to feature Darryl Brenzel and Jeff Cosgrove, the latter of whom you can find with his trio above in a previous “Frederick One Take.” Sadly, because of the late notice, we are unable to find a replacement venue, so for the first time in its long three-year history, The Thing will not have a jazz music venue. Still, the show must go on (rain or shine; gray or blue), and despite the very honest sadness that comes along with losing a venue, we still have six other venues that will host music on Saturday and you can find all the artists and all the set times in our post earlier today. It promises to be an awfully fun day filled with some of the best music this fine city has to offer, and if you miss it, you’ll be missing out. Outside of The Thing, you’ll have Chris Smaha tonight, you’ll have Marzy Maddox Friday night (before they hit the Eagles stage for The Thing on Saturday), you’ll have some open mics, you’ll have Stephanie Quayle, you’ll have Rain, you’ll have NoXit, and you’ll have Ginada Pinata, who will be funk-rocking Cafe Nola Saturday night after The Thing concludes. If, God willing, there will be a Thing 4, we’ll need to see you on Saturday. So … see you Saturday, right? … Right?!

Jordan Feliz rocked the contemporary Christian music market with his 2016 album “The River,” which solidified him as one of CCM’s fastest-rising artists and earned him a Dove Award for Best New Artist. The title track, which was his debut single, reached Gold status recently, selling 500,000 units. The song was also a No. 1 radio hit and received a GMA Dove Award nomination for Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year and a K-LOVE (a contemporary Christian music radio programming service) Fan Award nomination for Breakout Single of the Year.

Riding high on those accolades, in March of this year, Feliz released his second album, “Future,” hitting No. 1 on the Christian album charts. It features the new single, “Witness,” which made it into the Top 10 for Christian radio play.

Can he get an amen?!

Feliz will join fellow CCM artist Matthew West (“Hello, My Name Is,” “Broken Things,” “Strong Enough,” “Mercy Is a Song” which features Feliz) on the grandstand stage Saturday. Gates open at 6:30 p.m., the show at 7:30 p.m. Tickets, which include gate admission to the fair, are $25 grandstand annex, $35 grandstand and $40 track reserved.

Music with a mission

The California native knew at age 13 that music was his gift. He was a senior in high school and already playing with a band when a member of the heavy metal band A Current Affair asked him to join them.

“I got a MySpace message from a dude who had heard me play an acoustic show at a coffeehouse,” Feliz said in a recent phone interview from his home in Nashville. “He said, ‘My band needs someone to play keyboards.’ I was in a band at the time so I said no.”

But over the following weeks, “I felt like I needed to meet them,” he said. “They were using right lyrics, good lyrics, talking about Jesus in ways not many others were [in music]. I’m not a huge metal person, but I loved their mission.”

He was with them for about five years until they disbanded. A Current Affair played on the Warped Tour and also performed at other prominent national music venues, which opened some doors for Feliz.

The rest is His story

After his time with A Current Affair, Feliz was worship leader at a church and felt compelled to write Christian music but with his own sound. Growing up listening to R&B artists like Sam Cooke and Earth, Wind & Fire, Feliz knew those early groove-funk-soul singers were the kind of influences from which he wanted to draw.

Packing up the car, he and his wife, Jamie, headed to Nashville — without enough money to make the trip. He picked up gigs along the way and actually ended the trip with a little cash in hand. But finding people in the industry excited about his plan was not as easy.

“I did get some resistance,” he said. “It took about two years to find a producer and songwriters that believed in me.”

Anxiety plagued him for about six months as he imagined all his plans for his family would come crashing down.

In a songwriting session with Wedgeworth and Duncan, the friends questioned him about his doubts.

“Paul said, ‘Hey dude, your complete future has already been worked out by God,’” he explained. “’You cannot control your success or failure. We just want to do the things God wants us to do with what He has given us.’ I tricked myself into thinking that if I had control, it would be better. [What Paul said] was like a weight lifted off my shoulders.”

Forty-five minutes later, they had written the song “Witness.”

“That’s how ‘Future’ came to be,” Feliz said. “I felt this new source of energy and excitement.”

That excitement and release of fear is evident in the uplifting lyrics and fresh, upbeat music of “The River” and “Future.”

“Witness” is a reminder that “no matter where you are in life, we have the Creator of the Universe, God, who we know to be the Sovereign,” he said. “It’s about acknowledging God’s sovereignty in our lives.”

The song “All Along” is, perhaps, his favorite track on the album. The autobiographical song is one he wanted to write since moving to Nashville six years ago. But every time he started writing, it came out as a slow ballad.

“I didn’t want it to be that,” Feliz said. “Jesus has been with me my entire life. It’s not like I’m depressed about it. I’m excited about it!”

The lyrics also mention meeting the girl who would later be his wife, whom he met on vacation when he was 15. She lived in Chicago, he in California.

In the video for “Count That High,” which talks about all the blessings of God in life, Feliz, along with his wife and daughter, Jolie, now 3, pose with a sonogram photo.

“Yeah, that was our baby announcement to the world,” he says with a laugh. Baby Judah was then born in August.

On stage, Feliz said he just keeps it real.

“My hope is that [the audience] will just experience Christian music in a new light and a new way, and experience the joy of Jesus,” he said. “I just want to share the love of Jesus.”

Can he get a witness?

Jordan Feliz: Contemporary Christian music from the heart, with soul was last modified: September 20th, 2018 by Sue Guynn

Smoldering vocals, rebellious lyrics and raucous live performances. Must be Gary Allan.

The California native has had five No. 1 and 14 Top 10 hits at country radio — including “Man to Man,” “Tough Little Boys,” “Watching Airplanes,” “Best I Ever Had,” “Nothing On But The Radio” and, most recently, “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain).”

“Mess With Me” is his current single, a song he has had on the back-burner to release for a few years. It’s been the only song from his upcoming new album he is playing at his live shows.

In addition to being a singer/songwriter, Allan also designs and makes jewelry. While both are creative, Allan says they are very different processes.

The FNP caught up with Allan via email in the days ahead of his show at The Great Frederick Fair on Friday, which kicks off the grandstand entertainment. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $25 grandstand annex, $40 grandstand seating and $45 for track seating or track SRO (half seated, half standing). For more details, visit www.thegreatfrederickfair.com.

It’s been a few years since your last album, so it’s good to hear some new music is out (“Mess Me Up”) and more is on the way. Talk about the upcoming album and the songs on it. Do you have a title, release date yet?

At the moment, we don’t have any release information. I’ve been working on new music for a while, so the songs represent where I have been in life at those moments. I didn’t write them all, but they all fit me and feel like things I could have written.

A number of songs you’ve written and/or recorded (“Every Storm Runs Out of Rain,” “Life Ain’t Always Beautiful,” “Her Man”) have a, “yeah, things are bad, but these bad times won’t last” kind of vibe — uplifting and encouraging. Is that reflection of who you are?

I didn’t write “Her Man” or “Life Ain’t Always Beautiful,” but they both represented who I was or what I was working through in life at the time. When we started writing “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain),” we set out to write a song with a positive meaning. We wanted each line to say something positive and give you that uplifting feeling.

When did you know that music is what you wanted to do? What was your road like from California to Nashville recording artist? Who were/are some of your music “heroes?”

I grew up with my dad playing traditional country music in the house daily. Merle, Willie, Waylon, Buck, Cash and George were my biggest influences. I played in a band with my dad and my brother. We played bars all around Orange County several nights a week. I knew early on that music is what I wanted to do. I worked other jobs — construction, building homes, selling cars, etc. to pay the bills, but music is what I loved and I never gave up on that dream.

I read somewhere that you recently moved to a new-to-you house, one that used to belong to Conway Twitty. Is that right? What’s it like?

Living in one of Conway’s old homes is pretty cool. My manager is friends with Conway’s wife, Dee. Once I moved in, Dee came and walked me through the house and told me what Conway did to it and brought me photos of what it looked like when he lived there. The home has a lot of cool history.

How did you get interested in designing and creating jewelry? Which creative process is easier, writing songs or creating jewelry?

I always liked unique jewelry pieces and started meeting designers when I owned a clothing store. They showed me different techniques and before long, I took some classes and then bought all the tools to start my own line. It is a fun creative outlet for me. Making jewelry and writing songs are two completely different things for me. Both are creative outlets, but it would be hard to compare them.

Tattoos. You have a few. Tell us about a few of them … what they are and their significance to you. Any new one(s)?

I got my first tattoo when I was 14. My Mom told me I looked like a bank robber and she was not happy about it at all. It was a long time before I got another one. I became friends with DJ Tambe who has been on — and won — “Ink Masters.” He and I will discuss different ideas and then come up with a tat from that. I guess my latest one is a tiki guy surfing on my leg.

You will be playing The Great Frederick Fair. What can we expect from Gary Allan at this show?

Come out planning to have a good time. We play the hits, some fan favorite album cuts and a few new songs as well. All in all, we just want to get the crowd on their feet and everyone having a blast.

Gary Allan kicks off grandstand shows at The Great Frederick Fair was last modified: September 13th, 2018 by Sue Guynn

3AM Tokyo will be headlining the Up The Creek portion of this weekend’s In The Street festival. So, really, that’s the after-party. Right? Maybe? Who knows. Either way, they are the final band to perform as part of the festivities on Saturday. And honestly: That’s all this weekend is about. In The Street. Well, that and preparation for the beginning of the Great Frederick Fair next weekend. But we’ll get to that bridge when we get to that bridge. As for this weekend, you can find all you need to know about all the fun going on downtown … here. Elsewhere, Darryl Brenzel, he of The Thing booking, will bring his trio to Elk Run Winery on Friday. Doug Alan Wilcox, our dear old friend, will be returning to Elk Run Winery. The Dirty Middle, who we adore, will be slaying at Beans In The Belfry. Alive @ Five is going to go all the way downtown with Vertigo Red. Dan Wolff and the Muddy Crows are going to take the JoJo’s Designated Music Space. And then, of course, there’s The Bees Trees. We are contractually obligated to remind you that tickets are on sale for The Thing. We announced the bands this week. So … see you there, Oct. 6? See you there, Oct. 6. Be good.

Gary Link was 17 years old when he saw the rock band Steppenwolf in concert at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh. Row one, center stage. It was quite a night, one he shared with his older brother, Wayne, who had every Steppenwolf album.

So imagine Gary’s surprise when he, many years later, checked his answering machine at his home in L.A. and heard a message from John Kay, founding member and lead vocalist for Steppenwolf, asking him to audition as the band’s bass player.

“I got the call from John in 1982,” said Gary. “I still have the cassette. I called my brother Wayne and said, ‘Check this out!’ and played the tape.

“I went to John’s house in Nichols Canyon, in Hollywood. I had to learn three songs and play them,” Link recalled in a recent phone interview from his home in Franklin, Tennessee.

He played those songs, and then the band left the room.

“They left me sitting there with John,” Link said. The conversation went something like this:

John Kay: Do you know “Rock Me?”

Gary Link: Yeah, I love that.

JK: Do you know “Monster?”

GL: Yeah, I know that.

JK: Do you know “Movin’ On?”

GL: Yeah, I know that.

JK: How do you know all these songs?

GL: Well, I saw you when I was 17 and my brother had all your albums. I pretty much know everything you did.

“He started talking business and offered me the gig,” Link said. “At the time, it was really cool. John was rebuilding the [Steppenwolf] name and we were playing some real dives, doing 125 to 150 shows a year.”

Kay renamed the band John Kay & Steppenwolf. The original Steppenwolf had disbanded and when Kay learned there were other bands using the Steppenwolf name, basically trashing its reputation, he reclaimed it.

John Kay & Steppenwolf will take the grandstand stage at at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 15 at The Great Frederick Fair. Track seating is $45, grandstand seating is $40 and grandstand annex seating is $25. Tickets are available online at www.thegreatfrederickfair.com or by calling the box office at 301-695-3928. Tickets include admission to the fair.

The band is marking 50 years since it was founded in 1967. Last year, Link said, the band embarked on an anniversary tour. This year, the band has played about a dozen shows. After Frederick, there are two more shows this year, one in Minnesota, and the other is Oct. 14 in Kansas.

“That October show could be the last gig forever … for now,” said Link. “You never say never with John.”

Kay, at age 4 with his mother, made a midnight escape from East Germany and eventually made it to Canada. With a steady diet of Armed Forces Radio, listening to the likes of Little Richard and Chuck Berry, Kay decided at the age of 13 that rock ‘n’ roll was his life.

“Considering I was only 13, legally blind, spoke the wrong language and was on the wrong side of the ocean, maybe I was a little optimistic,” Kay, now 74, says in his bio. He is totally color blind, seeing only shades of black, white and gray. The disorder causes sensitivity to light, so he often wears sunglasses.

He learned English and after high school joined the Canadian band The Sparrows. When the band broke up in 1967, Kay formed Steppenwolf in L.A. Powered by his gritty vocals, the band’s blues-based rock burst on the scene in 1968 with timeless classics like “Born to Be Wild,” “Magic Carpet Ride,” “The Pusher” and “Rock Me.”

“John Kay is the only original member of the band and everyone except John Kay is replaceable,” Link said. “I love to hear John’s stories.”

Like the story of Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda coming to Kay and Jimi Hendrix with a need for music for a movie the two were in — “Easy Rider.”

“They needed music, but didn’t have any money,” Link said. Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild” and “The Pusher” were featured in the movie and the rest, as they say, is history.

“That was a boon to ‘Born to Be Wild’. It put Steppenwolf on the map,” Link said.

Last year, the iconic song was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Teen band to Wolf

Link, now 68, started playing guitar and keyboards in bands when he was 14. He didn’t switch to bass until he was 20.

He has recorded and played in numerous bands with various artists ever since. He joined the band Chopper shortly after moving to LA in 1978 and recorded an album with them, produced by Jeff Barry (“Do Wah Diddy Diddy,” “Then He Kissed Me,” “Chapel of Love”). A keyboardist who had left the band asked Link if he wanted to audition for the band Poco.

“This was late 1981. The bass player had left,” Link said.

He auditioned and the gig was his, but he turned it down.

“I was 31,” he said. “It just wasn’t my bag.”

A couple of weeks after that audition, Link got a call from Steve Palmer, drummer for John Kay & Steppenwolf, asking if Link knew of any available bass players. Palmer passed his number on to Kay. A week after the audition, he was on the road with John Kay & Steppenwolf.

“For the most part, it was a lot of fun,” Link said.

With about a dozen or so shows a year, Link worked for a Sony warehouse in the Nashville area and has a blues band, The Beaker Street Blues Band.

“We play some B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Cocker, a little Cream,” he said. “We’re known as the ‘happiest blues band’ in town.”

Link and his family moved from L.A. to Nashville about 25 years ago.

“With [then] a 1-year-old and one on the way, L.A. was getting a little seedy and not a good place for kids,” he said.

They visited the former pastor of the church they attended in Nashville who had moved there to plant a church. They were so impressed by the friendliness of the community, they bought a house and moved there.

This reincarnation of Steppenwolf “represents the Wolf well,” Link said.

“This is the real deal. I listen to the original recordings. I know the music and what the musicians did. There are some signature licks,” he added. “I can say we sound like the original band. We keep it just loose enough to really rock.

“You’re going to see the best Steppenwolf other than the original!”

A night of classic rock with John Kay & Steppenwolf at the fair was last modified: September 6th, 2018 by Sue Guynn

The Thing 3 (or The Thing 2018, or The Thing That Never Stops, or Wow, Can You Believe The Thing Is Happening Again?) is all set. The date, as we noted before, is Saturday, Oct. 6. This year, we are partnering with the Downtown Frederick Partnership and the main stage festivities will beheld at the Carroll Creek Amphitheater.

Also new this year? The more venues you attend, the more prizes you get! Indeed, we will have incentives for those who attend multiple shows. It involves a CD, a shirt and a pint glass, among other things. You can find out all that information here. Some call it a “scavenger hunt.” We call it “fun.”

Now, you’re probably wondering who is playing where by now, aren’t you? Well, such is why we’re here. We received a ton of submissions — more than ever! — and are now happy to bring you the lineup for the day. The specific set times for each act will come at a later date, but for now, we at least wanted to alert you of who will be where. The lineup is subject to change, of course, and there may or may not be an artist or two added between now and Oct. 6

Finally, tickets, we are also contractually obligated to remind you, are on sale now. You can find them here.

For six years running now, the guys in local band Silence The Blind have organized something called Inn It For The Kids, which aims to raise money for the Children’s Inn at NIH. Last year, the event raised more than $12,000 to donate to the Inn. This year, the event will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday at Cafe 611 and will feature everyone from The New Reign to Snipers Of Babel, to, of course, Silence The Blind. We caught up with the band’s leader, Danny Boiko, to ask him what goes into the production of the event, what’s new this year, and who he thinks is can’t-miss at Saturday’s fundraiser.

First, how did Silence The Blind get involved with Inn It For The Kids? Have you played it before?

The members of Silence the Blind are the organizers of the event. This will be our sixth year doing the show, and our fifth year in a row holding the event at Cafe 611 on North Market Street.

What drew you to an event like this, personally? Is there a connection you have to the cause that drew you to the event in the first place?

The idea to do an event benefiting the Children’s Inn at NIH came after our own vocalist, Jae Curtis, had gotten cancer. So we threw an event for him, which was fairly successful. It was a basic thing back then — just bands performing and people coming out to support. Nowadays, there’s a lot more involved with the show, like raffling off professional music gear, incredible artwork — including photography — tattoo gift certificates and more.

That said, did you have a role in putting it together or are you just part of the event as a performer? If you are an organizer, how long have you been involved with the event and what drew you to it in the first place?

Well, basically the four of us in Silence the Blind organize the entire show, acquiring the venue, raffle items, promotion and donations. We all do our part. And we also get a lot of help along the way. It’s a yearlong process. As soon as one show is done, we’re already thinking about how can we grow next year.

Getting to Silence The Blind — what’s up with you guys? Do you have any new material on the horizon? Any plans for the rest of the year?

Yes, we are in the middle of recording our second full-length album. We hope to have it finished and released by the end of this year, or early 2019 at the latest. We also have shows booked September and October in Virginia and December in Baltimore.

Finally, if I could check out only one band outside of yours at Inn It For The Kids, who would you suggest and why?

}Well, I would say that every band in the lineup this year is absolutely top notch. I would put them all against any national act and they would all hold their own. But if I had to pick one, I would say Snipers of Babel. They have incredible songwriting and a tight sound. Multiple vocalists bring different moods throughout each song.

Inn It For The Kids set for Saturday was last modified: August 8th, 2018 by Colin McGuire

Come one, come all. For the third-straight year, The Thing is planning to take over downtown Frederick. That’s right — Frederick’s all-local music festival, spread out over one day at various venues around the city, is back and this year, the main stage concert will be held at the Carroll Creek Amphitheater in conjunction with the Downtown Frederick Partnership.

So, we know what you’re thinking. First, when is it? And secondly, how can my band play it? Glad you asked.

The date for this year’s Thing is Saturday, Oct. 6. And should you be in a band — or, for that matter, if you just like playing a little music every now and then by yourself — and you would like to perform at this year’s installment of The Thing, contact Colin McGuire at cmcguire@newspost.com.

The deadline for artist submissions is Friday, Aug. 31.

Want to play The Thing? Here’s how was last modified: July 18th, 2018 by Colin McGuire

It’s a Karen Jonas kind of weekend. Not only did we review her brand-new album, “Butter,” today, but she’s also coming to town on Saturday — The Blue Side, to be more specific — to help commemorate the release. Above, we have the most-watched video we’ve ever been a part of, which is a performance of “Country Songs” she was kind enough to deliver at the News-Post offices a few years back. If you can go see absolutely only one thing all weekend, this would be the pick (and I even say that while knowing this band is playing twice over the next four days). Yet even with all that said, rest assured there is plenty — plenty! — of stuff you can sink your teeth into as the weekend approaches (because you can go see more than one thing, right? RIGHT?!). First there’s Alive@Five this evening with the fabulous people in DaMood. That promises to be a very, very special night, and if you don’t go, you sure are missing out. There’s also the first installment of the Vibrant Sky Festival, ready to take over Sky Stage throughout all of Saturday. We talked a little about that earlier this week. Silent Old Mtns., who are headlining said festival, will be taking the Cafe Nola stage this evening, so be on the lookout for that. There’s a battle of the bands. There’s some jazz. There’s some Faith In Jane. There’s some Josh Morningstar (who has some awfully savage fans). There’s some Drunk Naked Pirates. And then there’s some very seriously Half Serious. It’s beautiful outside, friends. Hug somebody.

What’s up Saturday? How about this: Something called the Vibrant Sky Festival. Kicking off at 1 p.m., the first installment of the festival is set to go down at Sky Stage and will feature the likes of Silent Old Mtns., Crooked Hills and Jack Funk. John Lawton, whose band Chèvre will perform at the event, set up the show and we recently caught up with him to talk about how he came up with the lineup, criticisms regarding diversity in the event, and what we can expect from the event as a whole.

First, how did the idea for Vibrant Sky come to be? Who had it and how did you know you wanted to go to Sky Stage for it?

I came up with the idea for Vibrant Sky. I felt that more of the community needed access to the great original music scene we have here in Frederick and thought the best way to do that was through a festival. Sky Stage has been bridging the gap between the arts and community the last couple years and having played there last year, I knew the space had a great sound and was close enough to Market Street and Carroll Creek to pull people in.

Who picked the bands and how did you come up with the lineup? Anyone you really wanted to get on that you couldn’t because it just didn’t work out?

I picked the bands and the idea behind the lineup was to keep things interesting, and not have too much of one particular genre at once. With this being the first year of the festival, I wanted to keep things fairly local to Frederick (with the exception being Heavy Wire, who are from Westminster/Baltimore but really hit a sweet spot between heavier rock and melodic pop). Thankfully all the bands I asked said yes, and hopefully, we will be able to expand and pull talent from the surrounding areas in the future.

There has been some criticism for the festival due to a lack of diversity in the lineup. What would you say to that?

I understand that diversity can mean different things to people. In my mind it meant diversity in original music. Hopefully people will come out and decide for themselves, and any criticism will be used in planning the next Vibrant Sky.

Are there any sets you’re looking forward to the most at the festival?

I think I’m looking forward to seeing how the crowd reacts from set to set the most. I enjoy all the bands that will be playing.

And finally, what can we expect from the festival and do you think there will be a Vibrant Sky 2 next year?

You can expect a high level of musicality from the bands playing, and a comfortable environment with the ability to come and go as you please (if you’re from out of town, I hope that you will take a walk around the city and take in all that it has to offer). I certainly plan on trying to put together another Vibrant Sky installment next year — hopefully it will grow along with the original music scene in this area!

A Q&A With John Lawton was last modified: July 11th, 2018 by Colin McGuire